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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. cap — a lid
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. file — a document
  7. mug — a face
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. file — a tool
  10. suit — to fit
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — of ice
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — a series
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. mug — to rob
  19. suit — in cards
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. suit — clothes
  23. file — a line of people
  24. mug — a cup

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com